Draft:2020 Nashville tornado

On March 3, 2020, a destructive and deadly tornado struck areas around Nashville, Tennessee, causing over $1.5 billion (2020 USD) in damage. Based on the damage, the National Weather Service rated the tornado EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated to have peak at 165 mph. The tornado ended up killing 5 people, injuring 220, and was the 6th costliest tornado in US history.

Meteorological Synopsis
The threat for severe weather across Middle Tennessee and surrounding areas was not forecast well in advance. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) first issued a slight risk across northeastern Arkansas into the Tennessee Valley area in their 1:00 a.m. CST (06:00 UTC) March 2 outlook. In their forecast, the SPC noted that an unstable atmosphere was likely to materialize ahead of an approaching cold front, but that this environment would likely be contained by a capping inversion for most of the day.

By the afternoon hours, the SPC expected the combination of rich moisture, modest wind shear, and cold mid-level temperatures to promote the formation of supercells with a primary risk of large hail. Some tornadic activity appeared possible overnight given an increase in low-level winds. At 5:20 p.m. CST, the first tornado watch was issued from northern Arkansas northeastward into southern Indiana and western Kentucky as discrete storms began to develop.

Tornado summary
This deadly and very destructive high-end EF3 tornado touched down around 12:32 a.m. CST (06:32 UTC) in far western Davidson County along River Road, 7 mi northeast of Pegram. Initially, just trees were downed as the tornado crossed the Cumberland River and moved through Bells Bend, where a barn was also destroyed. Damage along this initial segment of the path was rated EF0 to EF1. The tornado crossed the river a second time before heavily damaging the John C. Tune Airport and an industrial area along Centennial Boulevard at high-end EF2 strength. The airport sustained significant damage to its terminal and other buildings, with 17 metal hangars on the property destroyed. More than 90 aircraft parked at the airport, including charter jets, smaller airplanes, and a newsgathering helicopter operated by CBS affiliate WTVF, were destroyed. Maintaining high-end EF2 strength, it crossed Briley Parkway and struck the former Tennessee State Prison, which sustained considerable structural damage. A communications tower and metal truss transmission towers were downed nearby. The tornado crossed the Cumberland River a third time and traveled through river bottomland in the Bordeaux neighborhood, snapping trees, producing roof damage to a few homes and the Bordeaux nursing home, and destroying a few small sheds and outbuildings. It then crossed the river again and struck the northern part of the Tennessee State University campus at EF2 intensity.

Agricultural buildings on the campus were heavily damaged, resulting in the deaths of two calves and injuries to several goats. East of this location, the tornado produced EF1 to EF2 damage in the North Nashville neighborhood, mainly to numerous homes and a few businesses. Some small homes sustained roof and exterior wall loss in this area, and many trees and power lines were downed. The tornado grew to nearly two-thirds of a mile wide as it crossed Interstate 65 and moved into Germantown, just north of the Tennessee State Capitol, where it produced a widespread swath of mid to high-end EF2 damage. Throughout Germantown, numerous homes, churches, and apartment buildings sustained significant structural damage, including several large, multi-story apartment buildings that had their roofs and upper-floor exterior walls ripped off. An O'Reilly Auto Parts store was damaged, and an AutoZone was almost completely destroyed. The Tennessee Department of Human Services building was largely destroyed, with its roof ripped off and some exterior walls collapsed. Around this time, local news media in Nashville began reporting power flashes and showing video of the tornado as it moved through the area, including WTVF, whose studio facility—located along James Robertson Parkway between Germantown and the State Capitol—narrowly missed a direct hit by the tornado. This section of the track was similar to the path of the F3 tornado that struck parts of Downtown Nashville on April 16, 1998, which also narrowly missed the WTVF building. After crossing the Cumberland River for the fifth time along the Jefferson Street Bridge, the tornado struck Topgolf and an industrial area, causing damage at EF1 to EF2 intensity. A U-Haul store was destroyed, with numerous moving trucks flipped and tossed.

It then crossed Interstate 24 at Spring Street and produced major EF3-strength damage in East Nashville, crossing the path of the April 16, 1998 F3 tornado in the Five Points neighborhood. Numerous businesses, restaurants, bars, homes, and apartment buildings were damaged or destroyed in Five Points, including Basement East, a popular music venue, which sustained major structural damage. A YMCA was badly damaged, and a Dollar General store was completely destroyed. Two fatalities occurred in Five Points when two pedestrians were struck by debris. The tornado continued through neighborhoods east of Five Points, causing EF2 damage to numerous homes, churches, and multi-story brick buildings. Some of these structures had removal of roofs and collapse of exterior walls. The damage continued at EF1 to EF2 strength back across the river and across Briley Parkway into the Lincoya Hills neighborhood, where many homes were damaged in this residential area. Numerous houses sustained minor to moderate damage along this segment of the path, though a few homes were significantly damaged. The tornado then moved into Donelson, crossing the Stones River twice and destroying much of Donelson Christian Academy and the Stanford Estates subdivision as it rapidly re-intensified. Numerous homes at Stanford Estates were destroyed and vehicles were thrown and mangled, and a few homes in this subdivision were leveled at high-end EF3 strength. The tornado crossed Lebanon Pike and then the Stones River a third time and continued into the southern part of Hermitage at high-end EF2 intensity. Numerous homes and industrial buildings sustained severe damage in Hermitage, along with Dodson Chapel United Methodist Church, in the area of Central Pike, Old Hickory Boulevard, and Tulip Grove Road. Kroger, Panera Bread, and Petco, in addition to multiple apartment buildings, sustained considerable damage along Old Hickory Boulevard. The tornado maintained EF2 strength as it paralleled Interstate 40 into Wilson County.

The tornado moved through Mount Juliet, producing a large swath of high-end EF3 damage as it crossed North Mount Juliet Road and substantially damaged Mount Juliet Christian Academy, West Wilson Middle School, and Stoner Creek Elementary. Numerous homes throughout town were heavily damaged or destroyed, a few of which were completely leveled. Two fatalities occurred in western Mount Juliet along Catalpa Drive. Maintaining EF3 intensity along a 6 mi swath, the tornado continued east of Mount Juliet along the north side of Interstate 40 towards Lebanon, causing severe damage in residential, commercial, and industrial areas between the two cities.

Numerous large warehouses, industrial buildings, and manufacturing facilities were destroyed in this area, and many semi-truck trailers were thrown and destroyed. A fifth fatality occurred in a CEVA Logistics warehouse near Beckwith Road and Volunteer Drive. While on the interstate in this area, around six tractor-trailers were blown from the eastbound lanes into the westbound lanes, resulting in the interstate being closed for around 12 hours. Further east, a sixth person was killed in a building along Eastgate Boulevard, although it was never confirmed if this death was directly related to the tornado.

The last area of EF3-strength damage was observed to warehouses along Eastgate Boulevard before the tornado weakened to EF2 intensity, producing more damage across Highway 109 and along Leeville Pike and Tuckers Gap Road. Extensive tree damage occurred in this area, and multiple well-built homes had their roofs ripped off, a few of which sustained some collapse of exterior walls. Two metal truss electrical transmission towers were blown over near Tuckers Gap Road before the tornado weakened to high-end EF1 strength and entered Lebanon. In Lebanon, many homes and businesses suffered considerable damage, including two large cemeteries, Lebanon Municipal Airport, Walmart, and Lowe's, as the tornado crossed South Hartmann Drive, South Maple Street, and South Cumberland Street (U.S. 231). The Wilson County Fairgrounds was affected as the tornado crossed Sparta Pike (U.S. 70) and moved east out of town. Frame homes were damaged, and some mobile homes and outbuildings were destroyed in this area. It continued along the interstate between Lebanon and Tuckers Crossroads, causing damage on both sides of the interstate along Bluebird Road and Coe Lane. As the tornado passed Linwood Road, a gas station and a heavy equipment auctioneer's property sustained low-end EF2 damage. The gas station had a canopy blown over and a couple exterior walls knocked down.

Continuing into Smith County, the tornado produced EF1-type damage in the Grant and New Middleton communities, snapping and uprooting many trees, damaging or destroying barns and outbuildings, and causing considerable roof damage to homes. The tornado dipped south of the interstate at New Middleton, continuing to damage houses and destroy outbuildings as it crossed ridges and valleys through southern Gordonsville, with most of the damage occurring on Agee Branch Road, Hickman Highway, and Maple Street. A couple of mobile homes were damaged or destroyed in the Gordonsville area as well, including one that was flipped on top of a truck on Hickman Highway, and damage in this area was rated high-end EF1. More tree and structural damage was observed as the tornado left Gordonsville at EF1 intensity before it lifted east-northeast of Hickman along Lancaster Highway at 1:35 a.m. CST (07:35 UTC). The tornado caused 5 fatalities and 220 injuries along the 60.13 mi path, which is one of the longest continuous damage paths in Tennessee history. Damage estimates from the tornado reached $1.504 billion, making it the 6th costliest tornado in United States history.

The supercell continued producing sporadic wind damage through the Club Springs community as it crossed Interstate 40 and the Caney Fork River, before quickly producing another tornado, rated EF0, in the St. Mary's community of Putnam County, approximately 4 mi east of the end of the damage path of this tornado.

Aftermath
Suburban areas of Nashville were heavily damaged, and $1.504 billion (2020 USD) in damages were recorded, making this tornado the sixth-costliest tornado in recorded history. Donald Trump, the president at the time, visited Nashville to look at the damage and meet with locals.